What a difference 10 years can make in life. It’s pretty incredible actually. It’s hard to see the whole scope of things when you are younger. I was 29 ten years ago today. I had graduated from a Tech School during the dotcom bust of the late 90s early 2000s when I was 19 and went straight into concrete. I’m glad I did. I don’t think an office environment would have suited a young me very well. I loved doing concrete as I came up helping my uncle during summers with his construction business. One thing about working in the trades is you meet a bunch of real people. Not all of them are good people but at least most shoot straight. I learned a lot from 19 years old to 29 working shoulder to shoulder with some of the best men I have met in my life. Not so much about working but more along the lines of life experience. To hear the stories of times past, fails and wins, good times and a lot of bad, was a privilege I didn’t even know I had at the time. When your in your 20s a decade is half your life. High school was 4 years and that seemed like a lifetime in itself. Looking ten years ahead was a scope I couldn’t fathom. I learned a trade and I was good. Ill just do this forever.
Well the concrete train ran out with the housing bubble in the late 2000s and no one could pull 20k from their homes equity to pay for a custom patio. I could have went into commercial construction but I really didn’t want to deal with the commute. I had a son now, he was 3 at the time and I was thinking about him. I had to start over from scratch. Find a; new job, new home, new car, new direction. I found a job in the petroleum industry and slowly crawled my way back to normal existence one step at a time. I now had insurance and 401k with a very reliable job I could retired at and it felt good. I was ready to just do that till I retired. That’s what people do I guess so that was the plan. Fast forward 10 years and here I am on a totally different path.
My time in the petrol industry was pretty fun I have to admit. Again, I met and worked shoulder to shoulder with some very great men that taught me tons on life and troubleshooting. However, in the corporate enviornment many people are far from straight shooters. Politics and blatant environmental desecration is rampant within the upper ranks with many out to stab someone else in the back for their 15 minutes of fame. It’s a toxic environment to say the least. I was happy to blow that popsicle stand and try to navigate this thing called entrepreneurialism. I’m happier than I have ever been so I hope this train keeps rolling a while. I get to work with my passion everyday which is killer. My son is doing great, my marriage is doing great, family is healthy and happy. That’s really the point of this whole ramble. 10 years ago I was pretty much starting from scratch after going to school for something I didn’t pursue and learning a trade I thought I would do my whole life. That was a tough pill to swallow. I thought I was “old” at 29. 10 yrs later I feel like I have lived another lifetime and am already starting a new adventure and I have no idea where it will take me. Plans don’t always work out the way you want them to initially but I’d suggest going with the flow. Hunter S. Thompson said ”Buy the ticket, Take the ride.” I think that’s a great quote, take the ride, you never know where you will end up. When you look at the journey as a destination it’s doesn’t really matter where you end up, the ride was the juice.
10 years is a long time. 10 years is also a short time. It’s all about the context you put them in. 10 years changed not only my life but my direction twice now and Im embarking into the next decade with my sails up but no compass. Let’s see where the winds blow me this time.
